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<title>In Which the Avengers Are NOT Funded By Tony Stark by SilverTonguedSlytherin1</title>
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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23785738">In Which the Avengers Are NOT Funded By Tony Stark</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverTonguedSlytherin1/pseuds/SilverTonguedSlytherin1'>SilverTonguedSlytherin1</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Marvel Cinematic Universe</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>A Million Dollars Isn't What It Used to Be, Civil War Team Iron Man, Clint Barton Friendly, Clint friendly, Financial Issues, Funding Global Terrorist Hunting is Expensive, Gen, Not Natasha Friendly, Not Natasha Romanov Friendly, Not Sam Wilson Friendly, Not Sam friendly, Not Steve Friendly, Not Steve Rogers Friendly, Post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 21:41:57</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>852</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23785738</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverTonguedSlytherin1/pseuds/SilverTonguedSlytherin1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>A realistic look into the running of the Avengers after SHIELD's fall if Tony didn't pick up the tab.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>106</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>1087</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">


        <li>
            Inspired by

            <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/12725322">Policy and Politics of the Unemployed</a> by <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/izumi2/pseuds/izumi2">izumi2</a>.
        </li>

    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This fic is inspired by an anonymous comment I got saying I was wrong to say that the Rogues were living off of Tony's dime and that Captain America would be owed /millions/ by the military, that a US Army spokesperson had confirmed. I did find some information agreeing with this statement (here's the link to the website I read: https://military.id.me/humor/captain-america-back-pay/ ), although it seems unlikely given all of the issues regarding enlistment, time served, whether the SSR was part of the Army, etc. For this fic, though, I'm playing nice and assuming this number is true. </p><p>That said, I don't think a few million will go as far as Team Cap! thinks.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Steve sighs. When he had found out that he had a bit over three million in the bank in backpay, he had thought he was rich. And before SHIELD fell, he was. Arguably, he still is. It's just, well, he's not as rich as he thought. </p><p>With SHIELD exposed, the agency had been terminated, effective immediately. All of its equipment was seized by other agencies, either for the investigation or simple use. The cleared workers are split about 50-50 between those choosing to accept jobs in other agencies and those taking jobs in the private sector, notably Stark Industries. Steve had taken that as a sign that Stark would be willing to fund the Avengers, since the Initiative was shut down along with all other SHIELD programs.</p><p>Steve was wrong. Stark refused point-blank, something about "greater scrutiny" and "can't risk my employees livelihoods to fund a group of vigilantes" and "the Joint Terrorism Task Force can handle a terrorist organization, Rogers." It's okay, though. In fact, it's probably a good thing that Stark won't be around to screw up the search for Bucky.</p><p>Now, all Steve has to do is figure out where he'll get twenty-one million dollars for a quinjet... </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Since we do not have a price for a quinjet, I used the current price of a Boeing 777-200LR, listed here: https://www.aircraftcompare.com/aircraft/boeing-777-200lr/<br/>barbara6275 pointed out that a Boeing 777-200LR is probably too much plane for the Rogues, and suggested I look into the Learjets instead. The Learjet 85 is the fastest and longest-ranging, according to the website linked below. Also, at $20.8 million, it is considerably cheaper than other jets manufactured by the company yet still well out of range for Rogers' finances.<br/>https://www.cnet.com/news/learjet-85s-private-high-tech-luxury-to-cost-a-mere-20-8m/<br/>Please note that I am moderating comments on this fic, mostly to protect my readers but also to save my patience. If you have a critique (for example, an aircraft with greater similarities to the quinjet, for which you can direct me to a source with a price), I am happy to read it, but please don't waste either of our time with trolling or hate. I'm sure we both have much better things to do.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Intectually, Sam knows that the Falcon Wings belong to the Air Force. After flying with them for so long, though, they feel like his. He has no idea what to do when they take them. He feels an odd combination of anger (that they took what is his, even after he helped save the world from Hydra) and gratitude (that they aren't calling him in for theft, that Stark isn't suing for intellectual property theft). </p><p>Now, he just has to tell Steve and hope the man doesn't try to suggest they steal them again. </p><p>Not for the first time, Sam curses Stark's decision to leave the Avengers. They don't need Iron Man, but Stark could have persuaded the Air Force to give him back his wings - or better yet, make Sam a pair that really were his. It's just a fantasy, though. Even if Stark was willing and legally able to sell the wings outside of the U.S. military, they would probably ten million at least. </p><p>Damn it. How are you supposed to save the world when you can't even afford the equipment? </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Natasha has been trained to operate with minimal equipment and supplies in the field. It's just that she's never had to provide quite so much with quite so little. She doesn't know what they're going to do.</p><p>She sighs, rubbing her hand over her face. Natasha hadn't been considering finances when she exposed SHIELD. It hadn't seemed important. Now, though, it seems like she overlooked something big.</p><p>They took her weapons. She had gotten complacent, so everything was SHIELD-issued, meaning it was confiscated after the fall. Replacing her suit is going to be difficult. The material is experimental, and the IP belonged to SHIELD before its fall. Now, however, various agencies will fight over the IP, and, in the mean time, anything made of it will be under lock and key. And she can't afford to be caught stealing it. </p><p>Damn it! She's probably going to have to make do with whatever she can buy on the civilian market. It'll be cheaper and less effective. </p><p>She bites her cheek in frustration. There is no replacement for her Widow Bites, at least nothing she can get on the civilian market, and she's<em> persona non grata</em> in every intelligence agency. She couldn't trust any private company either. Someone like Osborn or Rand would hold the equipment over her head. And anyway, she doesn't need the extra scrutiny that would cause.</p><p>"It'll be okay," she says. Natasha just has to figure out where to get her intel. Favors will only get her so far, and she's already called in a lot of them. She finds herself really appreciating the data analysts at SHIELD; she wishes she had one. </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Romanov is a spy, and she's certainly been trained to operate with fewer than optimal supplies. However, it's one thing to do so for the duration of a mission, and it's another thing to look at doing so indefinitely. Also, well, operating missions without the appropriate intel has to be nearly impossible, and I really can't see any way for Rogers, Romanov, and Wilson to gather and analyze it, not without the support of a government agency or private funder (cough*Stark Industries*cough). And given the statements about "government attack dogs" in Civil War, it seems pretty obvious that they weren't operating under any government agency, so...</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Clint bites his tongue to keep from snapping at Cap. Some of them aren't millionaire bachelors, but the man doesn't understand it. He doesn't understand that some people have responsibilites.</p><p>SHIELD is gone. Clint's (now former) employer is gone. That means that Clint's contract and his paycheck are gone. </p><p>No other agency will touch him now that they know about the mind control. He's blacklisted by every government agency. He understands; he's compromised.</p><p>However, Clint's a high school dropout whose skillset is pretty limited in terms of the civilian workforce. Most places want you to have an Associate's Degree in Security before they'll hire you, apparently. He's not got a lot of options, you see.</p><p>What Clint means is this: he has a wife and two kids to provide for, and he can't risk pissing off his boss by taking too much time off (not that he can really afford to take unpaid days anyway). </p><p>So, yeah, he understands that Cap wants to go kill Nazis and find his best friend, but Clint's kids like sleeping in a house and eating food, and you shouldn't have to guess which is his priority. </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I'm not really happy with this one, but it popped into my head kind of quickly. My goal here was to explore the fact that there are different ways the Avengers would be financially impacted by SHIELD's fall, which would preclude the search for Hydra/Bucky. </p><p>Clint's family would obviously make it difficult for him to take off on an unpaid mission. If Laura was working, the SHIELD's fall takes them from a two-income home to a single-income home. That alone would cause financial difficulties. If Laura doesn't work outside the home, then they've just lost their sole income. It would be pretty shitty on Clint's part to then dip into the family savings for his unpaid superheroing (and it has to be unpaid because if the Avengers were under government contracts, the events that caused the Civil War would not have happened). And if Clint does have job, there's no believable way he has enough PTO time to do Avenging full-time.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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